“The thrill of holding a book in its original edition just can’t be matched.”
Anne Catherine Skoog, Carnegie Mellon University Librarian for 36 years, died on Friday, June 29, 2007 in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Anne graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology with a degree in General Studies in 1939. In 1940, she graduated from the Carnegie Library School and began working at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. In 1946 she returned to CIT where she would eventually finish her career. She began working in the Social Relations Library. After the Hunt Library was built in 1960, Anne helped plan the Fine and Rare Book Rooms to house 2,000 of Mrs. Hunt’s non-botanical books. She took classes to learn more about the special books and their care. It opened on January 17, 1964. In 1966, Anne became the Fine and Rare Books Librarian.
Anne’s work brought many valuable collections to the Fine and Rare Book Room, including:
- the papers from author Gladys Schmitt,
- 300 rare books donated by Charles J. Rosenbloom in 1974,
- 74 Winston Churchill books donated by Fredrick McClelland in 1975,
- multiple donations from Mr. and Mrs. Henry Posner, Sr. and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Posner, Jr. starting in 1978,
- 400 rare books of American literature donated by John Pekruhn in memory of Donald M. Goodfellow in 1979,
- 1,495 volumes of English literature donated by Mrs. Austin Wright in 1980.
By the time she retired, the Fine and Rare Book Rooms would include books covering science, art, architecture, music, and literature. Friends remember that she was always eager to learn more about the care of rare books and share her knowledge with others. She retired in 1982, but her work continued to guide the Fine and Rare Books Library for many years.
Anne also donated some items from her student days at Carnegie Tech to the University Archives. A selection of these items can be viewed through the student memorabilia link below.
To honor Anne by carrying on her work, the Carnegie Mellon University Library has established the Anne Skoog Endowment Fund for the Fine and Rare Books Rooms.
Fine and Rare Book Rooms memorabilia